How the Network Source of Truth is replacing the CMDB
CACI Blog – Dylan Griffiths
In recent years, the rise of DevOps practices, including Network Source of Truth (NSoT) and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD), has led to a decline in the use of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) practices.
The traditional CMDB model, originally designed for managing physical assets, struggles with the complexity of modern IT workloads such as nested virtualization and container network layers.
Organizations are now turning to Source of Truth practices, often a repository or database, as a replacement for CMDBs.
The Source of Truth simplifies configuration management by listing all configuration items and their relationships in a single location, facilitating deployment automation, infrastructure management, and more.
Structured data models, such as YANG, integrate with DevOps data structures like YAML and JSON, fostering seamless integration between ITSM processes and infrastructure outcomes.
The table below contrasts the CMDB approach with the NSoT approach:
**CMDB Approach** | **NSoT Approach**
– Cumbersome, semi-structured and manual GUI-driven data input | + DevOps-native Structured Data YAML, JSON, and CSV data input
– Static assumptions around physical world constraints and data relationships | + Dynamic codification of logical or physical data relationships via YANG
– Rigidly aligned to static ITIL process definitions | + Loosely coupled to DevOps process guardrails
– Typically driven through human intervention from configuration engineers | + Typically driven via API interaction with other systems, managers, and controllers
– Normally present as part of a monolithic, costly ITSM system | + Normally present as either FOSS or microservices-based modules
– Designed for human interaction in mind with limited automation opportunities | + Designed for automation in mind with expected third-party system integrations
– No or limited integration possible with IaC tooling and frameworks | + The bedrock of any well-formed CI/CD pipeline or IaC framework deployment
Integration in the age of IT disaggregation is becoming increasingly important, with a NSoT-led approach offering a simpler configuration management, improved collaboration, automation opportunities, and better auditing and compliance practices compared to CMDB-based approaches.
Finally, CACI offers assistance for organizations seeking to migrate from CMDB-based solutions to Source of Truth practices, leveraging their expertise in Network Infrastructure Engineering and Consulting, as well as ITSM consultancy.
Link: https://www.caci.co.uk/insights/opinions/how-the-network-source-of-truth-is-replacing-the-cmdb/